The Glycemic Index explained and food list
/Low glycemic eating is a really simple way to keep your weight in check, achieve sustained energy, stabilize your blood sugars and keep inflammation down in the body.
The glycemic index ranks foods on a scale of 0-100, 100 being pure glucose which immediately spikes your blood sugar.
Foods ranked 55 and below are low glycemic.
Foods 70 and above are high. Medium glycemic foods are in the middle. It's advantageous to stick with low glycemic foods to get off the sugar hi-lo roller coaster! Your body is not happy when your glucose spikes and you do not use the energy. It's even more upset when it soon after crashes down. Over time this can make your cells insensitive to glucose utilization and cause major problems.
In the short term you may find yourself hungry mid day with low energy and a slow metabolism. Your body then craves carbohydrates or sweets to get the sugar rush again.
Switching to low glycemic eating will help stabilize your blood sugar, improve your metabolism, reduce sugar cravings and help shed weight.
Now, regarding this list... you don’t have to get too caught up in the numbers! There are very, very few fruits and veggies on the high glycemic list and most are low glycemic. Furthermore, most whole grains are low glycemic.
What you really have to watch are foods that are made from refined and processed white flour products and sugars.
I always advise my patients to steer clear of white: bread, potatoes, snack goods as well as sugary desserts treats. Just so you are familiar, please find the glycemic index list below for your reference.
Glycemic Food List
Grains
Pearled barley, cooked 28
Barley flour bread 34
Rye kernel bread 41
Buckwheat, cooked 45
Barley kernel bread 45
Corn tortillas 46
Cracked wheat 46
Buckwheat bread 47
Spaghetti, whole meal 48
Spaghetti 49
Rye bread 50
Oat bran bread 50
Oatmeal 52
Quinoa 53
Multi-grain bread 53
Rice noodles, cooked 53
Oatmeal (rolled oats) 55
Sweet corn 55
Whole meal barley 56
Wild rice 57
Whole meal spelt bread 63
Couscous 65
Oat bread 65
Muesli 66
Millet, boiled 67
Brown rice, boiled 68
Taco shells 68
Cornmeal 68
White Rice, boiled 73
Whole wheat bread 74
White flour bread 75
Oatmeal (one-minute) 79
Rice cakes 82
White rice, boiled 83
Fruit
Grapefruit 25
Apples, Dried 29
Prunes 29
Apricots, Dried 30
Apples, Raw 36
Pears 38
Plums 39
Strawberries 40
Oranges 42
Apricots, Raw 46
Grapes 50
Kiwi 52
Bananas 53
Pineapple 59
Papaya 60
Figs, dried 61
Raisins 61
Cantaloupe 68
Watermelon 76
Starchy Vegetables
Carrots, peeled, boiled 33
Carrots, raw, diced 35
Sweet potatoes, boiled 46
Potatoes, boiled 49
Yams 54
Beets 64
French fries 64
Potatoes, Mashed 83
Potatoes, Baked 111
Legumes
Lentils, red, cooked 21
Split peas, yellow, cooked 25
Lentils, green, cooked 30
Kidney beans 31
Garbanzo beans, cooked 31
Navy beans, cooked 35
Pinto beans, dried, boiled 39
Pinto beans, canned 45
Dairy
Cheese 0
Greek yogurt 12
Whole fat milk 31
Yogurt, low fat, plain 35
Skim milk 36
Yogurt, low fat with fruit 47
Sweetners
Stevia 0
Agave syrup* 15
Fructose 18
Raw honey 30
Barley malt syrup 42
Sugar cane juice 43
Maple syrup 54
Evaporated cane juice 55
Black strap molasses 55
Turbinado sugar 65
Pasteurized honey 71
Corn syrup 75
Sucrose (white sugar) 80
Brown rice syrup 85
High fructose corn syrup 87
Glucose 100